I recently received several recipes from Elizabeth Barbone’s new book How to Cook Gluten-Free. I agreed to participate in a cook-along,which features bloggers from various locations cooking and blogging the recipes all in the same day. Elizabeth will post a link to the blog posts on her website so you can read what recipes were tried and how they all turned out! I chose to try her no-rise pizza crust. Sounds like a great idea for a weeknight dinner treat, doesn’t it? From Elizabeth’s description:

The recipe makes a no-rise (yeast-free) pizza crust. It’s perfect for busynights when you want a pizza but don’t have time to prepare a yeast-based crust. The finished crust is thin and crispy, not thick and doughy. (Isn’t that the great thing about pizza crust? There are endless variations!) It handles saucy toppings really well. If you don’t use white rice flour, brown rice flour makes a fabulous replacement.

Note, I don’t avoid anything other than gluten, but the book contains alternative ingredients for those avoiding dairy, eggs and other allergens. The book also contains step-by-step instructions for many of the recipes, including photos. The photos below are from my pizza preparation.

When I decided to make this pizza I also chose to make the version outlined in the book. Not really a traditional pizza creation for me but it sounded interesting. I’m more of a sauce, cheese and sausage pizza-eater but I figured I’d do something out of the box for me. I was thinking this wouldn’t be as filling/meal-worthy as what I was used to. I was wrong. It made a great pizza and I’m thinking that it would also make a great appetizer if cut into smaller bites. Although the crust was relatively thin, it held up well to the rahter heavy toppings. I also found that it made an almost flaky crust which I totally did not expect. It had a texture that makes it appear that it contained more than just 2 TBS of olive oil. I really liked this crust. It’s probably the first gluten-free pizza crusts that I was actually able to roll out! Most crusts you are just able to pat them into your pan.

No-Rise Pizza CrustIngredients
2 cups white rice ﬂour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gumWet Ingredients
1/2 cup water
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients with a fork or small whisk until combined. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine until a dough forms. The dough will be on the dry side. This is normal.
2. Generously sprinkle your counter with white rice ﬂour. Turn the dough out onto the counter. Knead the dough until it is smooth. If, after kneading for a minute, the dough is still dry and doesn’t hold together, add a tablespoon more water.
3. Center the dough on a 161/2 by 121/2-inch piece of parchment paper. Dust the dough generously with white rice ﬂour. Roll out the dough until it covers the parchment paper.
4. Set a rimmed baking sheet very close to the rolled-out crust. Grab the corners of one of the long sides of the parchment paper and slide the crust into the pan. Do this quickly.
5. Top and bake as directed in the recipe.
Makes 1 pizza crust, about 16 1/2 by 12 1/2 inches

The roasted tomato version recipe appears after the jump…

Here’s the variation that I made:

Roasted Tomato Pizza

This pizza is sauce-free but not tomato-free. Rather, the tomatoes are oven-roasted for a deep, rich tomato ﬂavor. I usually use grape tomatoes because they are easy to ﬁnd and roast really well. In the summer use whatever great tomatoes you ﬁnd at the farmers’ market. I’ve used Sun Gold tomatoes, which are super sweet little yellow tomatoes, with fabulous results.2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
Kosher salt
1 pizza crust, rolled out and
placed on a rimmed baking sheet or divided into
individual crusts
3/4 cup caramelized onions
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and
halved (or quartered if large)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with a generous drizzle of olive oil. You want the tomatoes to be glistening with olive oil but not drenched. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and toss to coat.
3. Spread the tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until the tomatoes are soft; the edges should be a dark golden brown with some black spots. (Roasting time will vary depending on tomatoes. Check them after 20
minutes.)
4. Remove the tomatoes from the oven. Leave the oven on. Using a large spatula, scrape tomatoes into a small bowl.
5. If you didn’t brush the dough with olive oil before letting it rise, do so now.
6. Bake the crust for 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
7. Top the crust with caramelized onions, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and mozzarella.
8. Return the pizza to the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Fresh mozzarella does not really brown; after 5 minutes check the pizza. If the cheese is melted, it is done. If not, bake for a little longer. Remove from the oven and return to wire rack. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 4

I have Elizabeth’s first book and I am anxious to get my hands on this one too! The book can be ordered from Amazon. I believe the release date is just days away so you will be among the first to get one if you order now. Here is the link to order your copy.